As the Weather Turns: How We Learn to Adjust

You can always tell this time of year when summer starts to slip away and the season starts to change. The mornings are darker. The evenings are darker. The air is crisp, and suddenly you’re reaching for the sweater you haven’t worn for months. But it’s not just the weather that shifts. We do, too.

Every year around this time, I notice small changes in me as well — my energy, my focus, even my patience. I wake up a little slower in the mornings. I crave quieter, cozy spaces. Some days I’m sharp and motivated; other days I feel like I’m wading through fog. 

That’s how most change shows up — gradually, often initially unnoticed. We often think of life’s turning points as big moments, but more often, they’re subtle. A job that just doesn’t feel the same. A relationship that fades a little. A routine that stops working. It’s as if life is reminding us that it’s time to make some adjustments.

The challenge is we’re not always great at adjusting. We cling to what’s familiar, even when it’s clearly shifting beneath us. We tell ourselves we should feel like we used to.

But here’s what I keep learning: the problem isn’t that the weather changes. The problem is that we expect it not to.

Nature never apologizes for its transitions. It doesn’t panic when the temperature drops or the days shorten. It simply adapts. The trees turn color. The animals prepare. The earth recalibrates. It’s not resistance; it’s an expectation and a new rhythm.

When the weather changes outside, we don’t yell at the sky to stay the same. We also adjust. We add a layer, make soup, turn on the heat, and light a candle. We respond to what’s real. What if we met life’s internal “weather” that way, too? 

When energy dips, maybe rest isn’t laziness — it’s a healthy choice.

When relationships shift, maybe it’s not failure — it’s growth.

When clarity fades, maybe we’re not lost — we’re just in the quiet middle of change.

We don’t need to fix every change; sometimes we just need to recognize it.

A friend told me recently, “Everything in my life is fine, but I feel different.” I knew exactly what she meant. Sometimes the forecast changes inside us before anything shifts on the outside. That doesn’t mean something’s wrong — it means we’re evolving.

Resilience isn’t about being unshakable. It’s about learning how to respond — when to pause, when to push forward, when to wait for the skies to clear. It’s not about ignoring the wind; it’s about knowing you can stand in it and still be okay.

This season reminds me that steadiness isn’t the absence of change — it’s the ability to adapt to it. To stay rooted, even as the air cools and the light fades, trusting that we’ll find warmth again in new forms.

So if life feels different lately — if your days look unfamiliar or your energy feels unpredictable — maybe nothing’s wrong. Maybe the weather is just turning, and you’re being asked to adjust.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. Just notice what’s shifting. Add warmth where you need it. Give yourself permission to move with the change instead of against it.

Because the weather will always change.

And we’ll keep finding our rhythm in every season that comes.